Nematode Workshop

Part of the FORRISK project, the nematode workshop took place in Portugal and Galicia (Spain) on 5th and 6th November 2013. It was attended by members of the FORRISK project and their Spanish and French forestry partners who are affected by the spread of the nematode in Europe.

The first day took place in Portugal. In the morning in Coimbra, four partners gave presentations about the nematode and its vector (Hervé Jactel, INRA France), the control of the pathogen on a European scale (Christophe Orazio, EFIATLANTIC France), the management of infested stands in the region of Coimbra (Fernando Valle, FNAPF Portugal), and the identification of the nematode in the laboratory (Isabella Abrantes, ISA Portugal). The floor was then opened to the public for questions and discussion.

The afternoon session comprised a field visit to Arganil where Carla Patricia Santos (Arganil Forestry Association) explained how wood contaminated by the nematode is exploited in that region.

The next day, the group went to the region of Galicia in Spain, near the Portuguese border, where the pine nematode was first detected in December 2010. Julio Ruiz Cagigal (Forestry Association of Galicia) explained what measures had been taken in the eradication and demarcated areas, which were established following the detection of the pest.

In both regions, Coimbra and Galicia, the consequences of the presence of the nematode and its detection by forest owners and the local wood industry were discussed.